I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
Parallel translations
- WEB I cried to you, Yahweh. I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
- KJV I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
- NKJV I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.
- NASB ¶I cried out to You, Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.
- NLT Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David cries to Yahweh, calling Him his refuge and his portion in the land of the living. It moves from loneliness to confident faith in God alone.
Overview
When no one else cares, David finds in God both his refuge and his 'portion,' the all-sufficient inheritance that satisfies. To call God one's portion is to treasure Him above all earthly help. This anticipates the believer's inheritance in Christ, in whom God Himself is our reward (Psalm 73:26; Lamentations 3:24).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 2 Tim 4:17But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.
- Ps 16:5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
- Ps 27:13Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
- John 16:32“Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
- Ps 91:9–10Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—
- Lam 3:24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
- Ps 73:26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- Ps 91:2I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
- Ps 56:13For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
- Ps 119:57The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.
- Ps 46:1For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
- Ps 62:6–7He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
- Ps 46:11The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
- Ps 46:7The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 142:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.